Older adults with chronic pain report cannabis improves quality of life

New data published in the Cannabis journal shows that older adults using medical cannabis reported improvements in their quality of life.

The older adults were monitored for three months while their cannabis use was assessed by researchers at the University of Florida at Gainseville. The adults were all above the age of 46 and diagnosed with chronic pain.

The participants reported significantly lower levels of pain following their use of medical cannabis. They also recorded improvements in sleep, anxiety, depression and in their overall quality of life.

Adult study

The adults completed a baseline survey before and up to three weeks after they started medical cannabis treatment. They were asked to repeat the survey again at three months.

Earlier adult studies

The findings of the chronic pain study also match results from an earlier study from 2020. The study suggested that older adults are more open to the use of cannabis as an alternative to strong pharmaceutical drugs.

The study was focused on adults over the age of 60 who use medical cannabis. The results showed that cannabis therapy improved their quality of life and reduced their pharmaceutical medications. However, the adults expressed frustration with the lack of guidance on medical cannabis. They felt there was a stigma from healthcare professionals around cannabis.

The majority of the adults in the study published in the journal Clinical Gerontologist “reported satisfaction with being able to use medical cannabis to manage symptoms, get relief from pain, and have an improved quality of life all while lessening their dependence on pharmaceutical drugs.”

The authors concluded: “Most of our participants were retired, unemployed, or receiving disability benefits due to a chronic condition, yet they did note improvements in their ability to manage symptoms and productivity. Pain control was consistently described as one of the most important outcomes of medical cannabis use, and this must be considered in relation to public policy, medical symptom management, and long-term care regulations.”